Since this time last year, I have been working on a collaborative project to create a mural for the new Milton District hospital. FASM members have donated 1200 volunteer hours to create “Milton’s Nature Warms the Soul”, a 33’ x 8 ‘ work of art incorporating cardboard bas relief and painting. Tina Newlove created the design, FASM’s President Ursula McDermid was the project manager working with the Hospital and community and my role was to figure out how to create it, purchase the materials, incorporate the cardboard art and coordinate the volunteers and installation.

We were sponsored by local businesses and a Community Fund Grant. Our most generous benefactor was Milton Mall management who gave us space to work and enthusiastic support.

My own work suffered but this was the most rewarding adventure in my art career. There is nothing like sharing a creative vision …when it works…and this was fabulous!

The mural was installed in June and the new wing was then closed to everyone but hospital personnel. Next week we will finally gather to see the mural in situ and attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Sometimes the most rewarding act an artist can experience is working with a few to give meaning for many.

I have been exploring the wonderful world of paper sculpture. It’s light, flexible and when properly mounted can move …much simpler than Winterstone. Melt is my first successful piece. This video was taken at Holcim Gallery at Milton Centre for the Arts

Come visit my studio and gardens on Milton’s annual Studio Tour. My life size sculptures have been installed and joined by wire sculptures in the trees.
I’m on to a new project …a very big project !
You can download a brochure and map here:
http://fasm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/MSTBrochure_Web-1.pdf

Finally …3 ½ years of work are now complete. The installation of Fenced will premiere on November 13, 2013 as part of Offence/Defencean exhibition of works by Nancy Cuttle, Kal Honey and Kim Lee Kho. Offence-Defence-E-vite

2013 is my 10th year on the Milton Area Studio Tour and I look forward to 2 action-packed days of non-stop talking in my studio. Some people return every year to check things out and others give me a couple of years to produce new work.

This year will be the 3rd year featuring my life-size sculptures for Offence/Defence with all 5 now complete. With one month to installation, I will be talking about the logistics of building the 12’ x12’ x 6’ structure for the sculptures and transporting them to the gallery. I must admit I’m suffering from major angst over this part of the process …but that’s part of the journey.

Four months to installation! As I work on my last figure …it’s huge, it’s heavy, it takes forever to build up…I’m more than ever convinced that SIZE DOES MATTER.

Working on the design for the installation from drawings to a scale model (life ÷ 4) to maquettes (life÷5), I discovered that a life-size (which depends on your size÷1) scale was necessary to get the personal gut reactions I hope to elicit. Consequently, Fenced will be a 12’ x 12’ x 6’ installation.

To give my body a bit of a rest and to spend some R& R with special friends, I’m heading off to the fabulous Haliburton School for the Arts to do a course in Jewellery – Forming and Surface Decoration. Talk about a switch from the ridiculous to the sublime … from (life ÷ 1) to (life ÷ 30). Who knows what will evolve in these tiny copper sculptures?!